The Third Degree

 is a quest in Bastard's Wound.

Synopsis
In her quest for vengeance, Verse has uncovered further information regarding her sisters' killers. Investigate the leads to help Verse get the closure she desires.

Walkthrough

 * Talk to Verse at the beginning of Act 3 if you completed the preceding quest in Act 2. She will ask you to head back to River's Break. Head there.
 * Essa has been brutally murdered and her farmstead burnt to the ground. Verse will be shocked and ask that you help her track down the murderers. Examine the area: The charred corpse, the doorway, the collapsed corner of the house, then the tracks by the area entrance. She will figure out that the murderer was a rogue Sage, Catorius, and mark Fort Squander on your map. Head there.
 * Head to the center of the area to confront Catorius. He will introduce yourself, then stall. With Athletics 57 or Subterfuge 67, you can intimidate him or point out that this was a ruse. He will spill that he is an agent of the Voices of Nerat and explain the nature of his assignment.
 * Of course, he's playing for time. When he's finished, the Chorus reinforcements return and you'll have to fight your way out. You can enlist his aid by convincing him you'll kill Nerat, kill him with Verse, or leave the matter to Verse. Verse, of course, wants to kill him.
 * If you convicted Nerat during Final Judgment before coming to Catorius, you can mention that fact.
 * Regardless, you will need to fight your way out of the Fort. Furies, Horde, Blood Chanters, it's a target-rich environment! After your slaughter is done, talk to Verse at the Mountain Spire.
 * If you convicted Nerat during Final Judgment, the quest will be completed. Otherwise, the finale takes place at Cacophony, when confronting Voices.
 * If you chose to implicate Graven Ashe before Tunon (or failed to get Voices convicted), Nerat will offer to withdraw the Chorus from the Tiers in exchange for Verse. If Barik is in the party, he'll offer to take Verse's place, earning a rebuke from his half-sister. In any case, Nerat refuses the offer.
 * With Loyalty 4, she can be fed to Nerat and take him over, creating Voices of Verse and making it submit to you. Note that this counts as Betray Alliance on the Disfavored path.
 * Killing Nerat completes the quest as well.